Last Man Standing
by jess1134
Summary: What if Katniss fell in love with Peeta the day he saved her family? What happens when they are both reaped that year for the Hunger Games? What happens when another tribute falls in love with Katniss? Will she choose the boy who saved her life or the tribute who will do anything to win her heart?
1. The Boy with the Bread

Katniss

I was walking home in the rain behind the shops in town looking through the garbage cans. It was six months after my dad had died in the mining accident. My mom had yet to find a job and sat at home staring at nothing while my younger sister, Prim, and I waste away from hunger. I had been trying to trade some of Prim's baby clothes for food, but no one wanted them. It was when I stopped behind the bakery that I had seen him for the first time.

I was looking through the garbage cans for anything we could eat, but they had been emptied earlier that day. Sure enough when I lifted the lid, the bin was empty. I looked up as the light from inside the bakery was suddenly much brighter. "Get out of here you Seam scum!" the baker's wife yelled at me. Behind her I could see the younger of the baker boys. I backed up to sit under a tree behind the bakery.

I was frozen to the bones. The rain had soaked through my father's old hunting jacket. Prim's old baby clothes lay in a mud puddle to my left. Inside I could hear the baker's wife yelling and the door was thrown open again. "Throw them to the pigs. No one decent is going to buy burned bread. You stupid fool!" The younger boy began breaking off pieces of bread and throwing it into the pig pen. Someone came into the bakery and the wife returned to the front of the store.

As soon as she was gone he through both loaves of bread one at a time at the tree landing at my feet. It was only when he opened the door that I saw the red mark on his face showing how much that bread had really cost him. I quickly shoved the bread inside my jacket and walked home quickly. Except for the burned crust the bread was good and would feed us for weeks maybe longer.

The next day at school I saw him with some of his friends from town. The red mark had turned into a huge bruise and his eye was almost swollen shut. Every time I had seen him that day he wasn't alone and I never had the chance to thank him for what he did for me and my family. To thank him for saving us from starving knowing what would happen to him.

As I waited for Prim after school I saw a dandelion in the grass. Seeing that gave me hope. Hope that from now on my family wouldn't starve. Hope that the boy with the bread had given me.


	2. Gale

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games**

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*4 years later*

Katniss

I rolled over in bed to find the other side empty. Opening my eyes I saw that Prim had moved to sleep with my mom, looking for comfort from her nightmares. Of course she should have nightmares; it's the day of her first reaping. In her arms was the world's ugliest cat, Buttercup. His face was smashed in and part of one ear was missing, this was an improvement from what he looked like when Prim first brought the damn thing home.

The thing had fleas and had worms in its stomach but Prim had begged and pleaded and I really couldn't say no to her. I doubt anyone could say no to Prim. She had insisted that his rotten squash colored fur was the same color as the flower. He faintly growled at me as I put on my hunting gear. Most likely remembering the time I had tried to drown him as a kitten.

Once my boots were on and my hair in its signature braid, I grabbed my game bag and the cheese Prim had made for me and headed for the Meadow. Reaching the fence that surrounded all of District 12, I stopped to listen for the hum of electricity that alerted me when the fence was on. When no hum reached my ears I wiggled through the gap at the bottom and ran into the woods only stopping to pick up my bow and arrows from a hollowed out tree.

I ran to meet Gale at our usual meeting spot. No one but us and the animals know it's there as it's surrounded by berry bushes. As I carefully picked my way through to avoid getting caught on any of the branches, I found Gale sitting on the rock with his back to me. When he heard me coming through he turned around with a smile on his face. "Hey, Catnip. Look what I shot!" In his hand was a loaf of bread with an arrow through it.

My name isn't really Catnip but when I first met him in the woods after my father died in a mine explosion, I had whispered my name so quietly he had thought I'd said Catnip instead of Katniss so the nickname stuck. Laughing I took the bread from him and pulled the arrow out feeling the steam rise out of the hole warming my face. "Mmm…still warm. How much did this cost you?" I asked handing the bread back so he could begin slicing it.

"Only one squirrel, I think the baker was feeling generous today."

"Well, today everyone is gonna be a bit more generous than usual. Oh, Prim left us a cheese." I said pulling it out of my pocket.

"We're gonna have a feast today! Thanks Prim!" He suddenly falls into a Capitol accent mimicking Effie Trinket, the District 12 escort who reads out the names every year. "I almost forgot! Happy Hunger Games!" He plucks a few berries from the bushes. "And may the odds" He throws a berry in a high arc towards me.

I catch it savoring the sweet tartness of its juice. "Be _ever_ in your favor!" I finish. For us the only thing that keeps us from being scared out of our wits is to joke about it. And the Capitol accent is so affected almost anything sounds funny in it. He starts slicing the bread and spread some cheese on one for me and one for him. Even though we aren't related, Gale looks so much like me he could be my brother. We both have olive colored skin, dark hair, and the same gray eyes. The same as everyone else in the Seam. All the families that work in the mines resemble each other. This is why my mother and sister, with their blond hair and blue eyes, stand out so much.

My mother didn't grow up in the Seam. Her family lived in town and was a part of the merchant class that catered to officials, Peacekeepers, and the occasional Seam customer. They ran the apothecary shop since we don't have doctors. The apothecaries are our healers. My father met my mother because on his hunts he would find medicinal herbs and sell them to her to be brewed into medicine. She must have really loved him to leave her home for the Seam. I try to remember that every time I see her staring blankly at a wall doing nothing. She's been this way since he died. For my father's sake I try to forgive her for allowing my sister and me to turn to skin and bones. But I'm not the forgiving type.

We settle back into the nooks of the rocks with our bread and berries, looking our across the valley. No one can see us but we can see everything. "We could do it, you know."

"Do what?" I ask.

"Leave the district. Run away, live in the woods. You and I, we could make it." I sit there not really sure how to respond. "If we didn't have so many kids," he adds quickly. They aren't our kids. But we take care of them so much they might as well be. Gale's two little brothers and his sister; Prim. Our mothers as well, who would take care of them if we were gone.

"I never want kids." I say.

"I might, if I didn't live here," says Gale.

"But you do."

"Forget it," he snaps at me. We sit in silence as I try to figure out the point of the conversation. How could I leave my sister, and Gale who is so devoted to his family? I push the conversation out of my mind. To me there was no point to it, and I'm not going to ask Gale about it. We finish the bread and cheese, and grab our stuff. We decide to fish and gather today instead of the usual hunt.

By the end of the trip we have a dozen fish, some greens, and a bucket of strawberries. On our way home we stop by the Hob to do some trading. We trade eight of the fish for bread and salt, and give half of our greens to Greasy Sae for some paraffin. Once we finished in the market we head over to the mayor's house to sell half of the strawberries. Madge, the mayor's daughter, answers the door. "Pretty dress," says Gale.

She shoots him a look not sure if it's a compliment or if he's being ironic. "Well I want to look nice if I end up going to the Capitol."

"You're not going to the Capitol. You probably only have five entries. I had six when I was twelve."

"That's not her fault," I say.

"No, it's just the way it is."

"Good luck, Katniss," Madge says handing me the money.

We walk home in silence. What Gale did to Madge was wrong. It's not her fault that she doesn't need to get tesserae. We got the tesserae for our families, it was our choice. We know what happens when you get it. We know that we get added in more times, one extra for each person in our family. This year at sixteen my name will be in the reaping bowl twenty times, and Gale at eighteen will be in forty-two times.

When we reach Gale's house we split our goods in half, leaving two fish, a couple of loaves of bread, greens, and a quart of strawberries each. "See you in the square," I say.

"Wear something pretty."


	3. The Reaping

Aaah sorry it took so long to update. I'm such a terrible person but anyways here it is.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is the Hunger Games

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Katniss

I walk home quickly so I can get ready for the reaping. I walk in to find Prim in one of my old reaping outfits, it's too big on her but my mother has made due by pinning the skirt up in the back. She runs to me and gives me a huge hug. "Well don't you look pretty," I say laughing when I see the back of her shirt has come untucked. "Tuck in your tail little duck."

"Quack quack," she responds. I fix her shirt and look up to see my mother standing there. "I've got your bath ready and put your clothes out on the bed." I nod at her and go to the back of the house to scrub myself clean of dirt and coal dust. On my bed are one my mother's old dresses from when she was living in town. This one is light blue with short cap sleeves. When I finish getting dressed I walk into the kitchen.

"Would you like me to braid your hair?" my mother asks. I nod and sit down in one of the kitchen chairs. The familiar feel of her fingers gently pulling and twisting my hair calms me. After she finished I walked back to the bedroom where Prim was sitting with her arms wrapped around herself to keep her from shaking. I sit down next to her putting my arms around her.

"You're going to be just fine, little duck. You're only in the bowl once; today the odds are in your favor." She doesn't say anything but she unwraps her arms and puts them around my waist. "Come on, let's go eat lunch." We eat some bread and cheese from Prim's goat, Lady, with a few strawberries. We'll save the rest for dinner tonight to celebrate. Though two families will not be celebrating. Those families will have their shutters drawn tight unsure of how they will make it through the next few weeks.

I shake the thought from my mind. All will be okay as long as Gale, Prim, and I don't get reaped. My worry is mainly for Gale, he has the most out of anyone that I know. We finish eating quickly and walk out to the square. The reaping is mandatory for anyone who isn't knocking on death's door, and the Peacekeepers will visit anyone who's not there to see if this is the case. If not then they will be arrested.

As we near the check in point, I feel Prim trying to pull her hand from mine to run back to our mother. "Don't worry. All they're gonna do is prick your finger to get a little blood and then you go stand with your age group."

"Will it hurt?" she asks.

"No, just a little pinch and it's all over." Soon it was her turn. They had to prick her twice because she jerked her finger back the first time. As she walked toward her age group she continued to look back at me. I tried to smile as encouraging as I could, but it's hard to smile on reaping day. The fear that you or someone you care about could be picked looms above everyone like a dark cloud.

I join the other sixteen year olds in the district and nod a greeting at Madge. I look over to the boys section trying to find that familiar blond head. When I find him a smile breaks out on my face even though there's a chance that he could get reaped. It's the baker's youngest son and the love of my life, Peeta Mellark. He turns my way and for just a second we made eye contact before I look away blushing. Not too far behind him is Gale. I smile at him and then turn to face the front.

On the stage are a podium and three chairs. Two of them are occupied by the mayor and Effie Trinket. The mayor continues to look at the empty chair with concern, but eventually gives up on the hope that the person who is supposed to fill that chair is going to show up and walks up to the podium. He begins his speech about how the Hunger Games are to remind the districts what happens when the rebel against the Capitol and then shows a clip on District 13 which was completely destroyed.

During the clip District 12's only victor, Haymitch Abernathy, shows up and takes the remaining seat next to Effie and gives her a huge drunken hug knocking her wig aside. The video ends shortly after that and Effie looks relieved to be free of the victor. She walks up to the podium with a big smile and begins to go on about how happy she is to be there blah blah blah. We all know she's just hoping to get upgraded to a better district. She continues her speech with a ladies first and walks towards the bowl with the girl's names. She moves her hand around before pulling out a slip of paper. Walking back to the podium she opens the piece of paper and says, "And the female tribute is, Primrose Everdeen!" No. This can't be happening she had one among thousands of slips the odds were in her favor today.

Vaguely I hear someone screaming and realize it's me. "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" I scream pushing Prim behind me. She latches on to my skirt crying and begging me not to go. I feel her hands disappear from me and look up to see Gale holding her. "Up you go, Catnip," he says and carries Prim back to our mother. I walk up the stairs in silence joining Effie by the microphone. "Well what's your name dear?"

"Katniss Everdeen," I whisper.

"Well, I'd bet my buttons that was your sister. Give it up for District 12's very first volunteer!" She begins to applaud and stops when no one else joins her. Instead every person is doing a three finger salute, a way of saying goodbye to a dear friend. "Well on to the boys," Effie says bringing everyone's attention back to her. She doesn't waste any time getting back to the podium and announcing the tribute. "Peeta Mellark!" She says into the microphone.

No this can't be happening. I can't go in with him. I love him and he doesn't even know it. Hell he probably doesn't even remember the day with the bread. When no one volunteers for him we are told to shake hands before the Peacekeepers escort us off the stage and into the Justice Building. They lead me to a room where I wait for my family.

When they open the door Prim flies into my arms sobbing and holding tight to me. I pick her up and carry her over to the couch murmuring words of comfort to her. "Win for me, Katniss. You have to come back. Please don't leave me." She begs crying into my shoulder.

"I promise, little duck. I promise." I look up at my mother who has said nothing this entire time. When she realizes I'm looking at her she finally looks at me. "You cannot leave again. I don't care what you see on that screen you cannot leave her again. You have to stay! She needs you more than I do!" I realize I'm yelling and lower my voice. "Promise me you won't leave her again."

"I promise." I lean in to hug her and Prim at the same time when the Peacekeepers come in to take them away. "I love you, Prim. Stay strong, little duck," I say as she walks out the door. Next, the baker comes in and sits down awkwardly.

"I made you some cookies," he says and hands me a little white bag. I smile my thanks and we continue to sit in silence. "I'll make sure the little girl is fed and is doing okay. She's a good kid the whole district loves her, but I'll make sure she has enough to eat every night. I promise." I give him a hug to show my thanks before he has to leave. Right after he leaves Gale walks in. I go straight into his arms and hold him close knowing this may very well be the last time I ever see Gale Hawthorne again.

We stand like that the whole time and it is too soon when the Peacekeepers come in to take him away. "Take care of Prim!" I yell.

"I promise I will, Katniss. Remember" was all he got out before he was pulled away and I never learned what he wanted me to remember. I am escorted out to the train and attempt to keep an emotionless expression on my face. I see myself on camera and proud to know that I look almost bored. Peeta, sweet Peeta, looks as if he has been sobbing. We walk onto the train together and look back at District 12 before walking into the train and away from everything we have ever known.


	4. Haymitch

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or any of the characters**

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Katniss

We follow Effie into a sitting area where she leaves us to find Haymitch, who had gone to find the bar car. Peeta and I sit next to each other but say nothing. For years I have wanted to talk to him and now that I have the chance I can't speak. I glance at him out of the corner of my eye and see him watching me. I quickly look away trying to hide the blush that was slowly creeping out across my skin.

I hear him clear his throat and look over and he has his hand extended towards me. "I'm Peeta," he says and I shake his hand.

"Katniss," I say. That is all that is said until Effie returns with a very drunk Haymitch. She sits across from us looking very frustrated. Haymitch sways by the door trying to hold himself up until he pukes and falls into it. Effie scoffs and rolls her eyes while Peeta and I try to hide our smiles. When I accidentally let out a laugh she glares at me.

"He's drunk again," says Peeta pointing out the obvious.

"He always drunk, like every second of every day," I say laughing.

"You think this is funny? He is your access to the outside world. He is the one who approves the gifts that you receive. He is the one responsible for getting you sponsors. He is the only one who can help you get out alive, and you think this is funny!" She finishes pointing at Haymitch who lay groaning in the puddle of vomit.

Effie then got up and danced around Haymitch and left the room leaving us to deal with the drunk. Peeta and I share a look and then go to help Haymitch up. We carefully help him back to his room where we dump him in the tub. "You can go. I'll get him cleaned up." I hesitate not wanting to leave him, but the smell of puke was getting to me and making me nauseous. Quickly, I leave the room wondering why he wouldn't let me help him.

Then I realized why, he wasn't trying to get on Haymitch's good side and get me killed; he's just that nice.


	5. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

**This isnt't a chapter! Sorry it's taking so long to update I have been extremely busy with school and sports. I will try to update again as soon as possible**


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